FILE UNDER: No sophomore slump here!
CORPORATE LINE: “What is true happiness?” asks Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman. “Is it a comfortable four-door sedan with tinted windows? Does it mean I have 2.3 children and a beautiful wife and live in a great neighborhood? Everyone has their own version of what happiness means, but many of the things we’re going for, and I include myself in this, are absurd. There’s this moment in Jewish scripture, in Ecclesiastes, where it says, ‘Meaningless, meaningless, everything is meaningless.’ That’s the place where our new record starts.”
The San Diego alt-rock band’s new record, Nothing is Sound, once again finds Foreman questioning everything, as he did on the band’s two and a half-million selling breakout album The Beautiful Letdown. “That’s pretty much where our music naturally goes,” he says. “I ask myself questions and sing about it. A lot of these songs are like an oyster. A bit of sand gets in and it’s abrasive and troublesome. The oyster starts working on it and a few years later you open it up and there’s pearl in there. That’s what I do in my songs—chew on the more abrasive parts of my life.”
THE GREAT:
“Lonely Nation” – An absolutely addictive rock song. This is easily the best Switchfoot song to date.
“Stars” – Another fantastic song and a big time hit from a band that proves they weren’t a one record wonder.
“The Shadow Proves The Sunshine” – Gorgeous. It’s great to see a band do a slow song that doesn’t sound forced or full of fluff. Switchfoot makes songs that have soul and this is no exception.
“The Blues” – A little U2 slow-soul flavor—funny thing is this song would be a huge hit for U2 so lets hope it’s the same for the real creators; Switchfoot.
“The Setting Sun” – Cheerful rock ‘n’ roll. How often does anyone call rock cheerful and good?
THE AVERAGE:
“Happy Is A Yuppie Word” – Sure, its hooky, however its not as strong as the first two tracks.
“Easier Than Love” – A great stand against sex ruling consumer buying. Switchfoot takes a kill shot into the gut of the entertainment industry.
THE BAD:
Absolutely nothing.
FRANKLY: Fans probably won’t be surprised that Switchfoot is bringing huge hits but I will say I’m absolutely blindsided by the strength of these tracks. Switchfoot has soul and it’s great to hear songs from a band with something invested in their music more than trying to make a buck. Some people who care about being too cool might call Switchfoot too pop driven but that’s total bullsh*t. Switchfoot is a damn good rock band.
+ Rae Gun
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.